Posts Tagged ‘beaded jewelry’
Viking Knit Chain Photos
I know it's been longer than I had planned, to get you these viking knit chain photos, but I've finally had a chance to sit down and catalog what I had, and what you might like to see.
Viking Knit Bracelet (Click to Enlarge)
First off, I've been making mostly bracelets, along with some necklaces. So far, no earrings (that's my next project). This first bracelet looks rather plain at first glance. But when you hold it in your hand, it looks like copper lace. And it's nice and light and oh-so-comfortable.
Next is a bracelet I decided a little more color. So, I've incorporated seed and lampwork beads in this particular piece of jewelry.
Beaded Viking Knit Bracelet (Click to Enlarge)
I had a whole lot of fun with it. Of course, I had to include some of my own lampwork beads while I was at it. I've gotten lots of compliments on it, how it looks like the seed beads have been woven into a net.
(BTW, I have included instructions for a similar bracelet in my Intro to Viking Knit tutorial.)
OK, what next? Hmmm, time for a necklace perhaps?
This particular necklace uses viking knit as the background, with the wire-wrapped pendant as the focal.
Viking Knit Necklace and Pendant
I have a blast doing these free-form pendants! I've always had a problem with them though; they are substantial in size and need a chain that is equally substantial. And viking knit fits in nicely!
But a viking knit chain doesn't need to be relegated to just the background, not at all!
Although viking knit can be a necklace all by itself, it can be equally intriguing when different gauges and styles of viking knit chain are incorporated in the same piece.
I have a work in progress there I've mixed 24 gauge single knit and 26 gauge double knit -- looks kind of cool so far!
So far I've used copper, artistic wire, brass and also am working in silver. I have some gold-filled wire, but I haven't decided what to do with it yet (seeing as it's so very expensive these days). I'm sure sooner or later an idea will come to me and I'll dig into my stash of gold-filled.
Viking Knit Bracelet -- Flight of the Bumblebee
Here's something that I call "Flight of the Bumblebee" which turned out very interesting indeed! You see, when I grabbed my wire, both the brass and the black wire were supposed to be 26 gauge. That being the case, I figured I'd do some double-knit.
Well, if the brass was 26 gauge, I'll buy and eat a hat! So my brass portions are thicker than the black (which really was 26 gauge). At any rate, it's a cool look and it feels really neat!
In fact, I may dig into my small stash of gold-filled wire and do a mix of it with sterling silver. Hmmmm......
That's it for the moment; more later!
Making a Vintage Beaded Necklace
Making a vintage beaded necklace isn't as strange as it first may sound. Vintage kind of means "old", and how can you make something old?
By making a necklace from vintage beads and findings, of course! And you don't need to pay an arm and a leg for them either, if you know where to find them.
I made this particular vintage beaded necklace with beads taken from various necklaces from the 60's and 70's. It's all done in shades of pink, purple, magenta and white. Some of the beads are shiney, some are matte. The clasp is also vintage, and it's adjustable.
Finding the Supplies
Ah, finding the vintage bead supplies is actually much easier than you think. I haunt the vintage jewelry section on ebay and look for necklaces from the 50s, 60s and 70s. I'm checking for necklaces made with pretty beads and unusual clasps. Yes, I take it all apart and reuse!
I have found some gorgeous crystal necklaces with wonderful 2 and 3 strand clasps. And while the crystals are probably not Swarovski, they do glimmer and shine. And I have found them in some very unusual shapes as well.
I've had my share of disappointments as well. A necklace that I thought was going to be a real beauty turned out to be pretty sad.
But on the other hand, I've always been able to salvage something. And I have had some that I thought were just nice turn out to be knockouts!
And I rarely pay more than $3 for a double-strand necklace, from which I get beads and a clasp and sometimes earrings to boot!
Keep in mind that vintage also tends to mean plated, when it comes to clasps and spacers. Still, some of the plating includes a rhodium finish which still glows bright.
In this particular necklace, I chose to use some gold plated findings, most of which were harvested from other necklaces.
Hunt Down Those Vintage Beads for Your Own Necklace!
Check out yard sales and for that matter - your own jewelry box (who knows what's lurking in its depths)!
I get 95% of my vintage beads and findings from ebay, so I'll leave you with some goodies to ponder.
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 Very Vintage Lot of Handcrafted Bead Necklaces 3pcs  US $10.99
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 Huge Lot Vintage Wood Bead Necklaces Bracelets 19 pcs US $9.99
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 Vintage POP BEAD Lot {Old necklace has pop bead clasp} US $3.60
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 Huge Vintage Lot 19pc Plastic Bead Necklaces Jewelry US $8.99
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 Vintage All Glass Bead Necklaces Jewelry Lot 14pcs US $24.99
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Making Beaded Jewelry – When You’ve Run Out of Supplies
Making beaded jewelry is fun, unless you have run out of supplies. And if in today's economy you can't afford more at the moment, what do you do?
As for me, I take a look at what I've made and rarely worn. Time to disassemble and create something new!
What to Choose?
As I mentioned, the first thing I do is look for jewelry that I made and have only worn once or twice (or in some cases...never). No, I don't particularly like taking apart my "babies", but on the flip side -- I love creating something new!
And honestly, if I don't wear it (and don't really expect to in the future), why not take it apart? It's doing no good sitting in the jewelry box.
When you are hungry for beading supplies, it can be a treasure-trove.
(Re) Making Beaded Jewelry
OK, I have two necklaces that I am eying. One is primarily pearls and Swarovski. The other has gemstone beads, sterling spacers, gemstone chips and Czech beads. I've rarely worn one of them. The other I used to wear a lot, but haven't put on for at least 5 years. I'd say they are ripe for redux.
So, let me take 'em both apart. I'm probably create just one necklace out of the two. I will add in a few of my lampwork beads that I just found this morning (whoo-hoo!).
So, I'll post what I come up with -- let's see if I can manage to make something interesting.
Meanwhile, if you do have some spare change for more beads, here are some you might like.
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 15x20mm Blue Lampwork Glass Stripe Faceted Beads 15L US $3.99
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 BLUE AND PUPRLE LAMPWORK HAND MADE GLASS BEADS US $15.99
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 BERRY AND BLUE LAMPWORK HAND MADE GLASS BEADS US $17.99
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 MoonSparkle Glass Lampwork Beads Blue Gray SRA US $64.95
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 Lampwork Glass Lentil Pink Green Blue Ribbon beads US $6.99
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Making Beaded Jewelry
Making beaded jewelry has been part of my life so long. And when I realized I'd been feeling kind of blue lately, I remembered that I hadn't made anything in a few months.
Horrors! Can it really be that long, at least 3 months since I've had beads in hand? No wonder I have felt out-of-sorts.
But here's the problem -- what should I make? It always seems to be the same way for me -- either I have too many ideas and can't decide what I want to do first...or no ideas at all! Do you ever find that happening to you?
I decided to get out some photos of my lampwork beads and see if they could give me inspiration. And you know what's funny? Of the hundreds (and probably thousands) of lampwork beads I have made, I probably have....maybe a dozen to call my own.
Making Beaded Jewelry
If you've been making beaded jewelry for any length of time, you know what bead paralysis is. You have beads of all kinds - lampwork, gemstone, crystal - and findings galore. Got beading cord or string? Check. Are the tools handy? Yep.
Then....so much to choose from and so little time to bead it all up! How to choose what to make first?
When I am totally stumped, I make a bracelet. It's faster than a necklace but involves me a little more than most earrings do. And you know what's funny? I tend to make jewelry that I don't have anything to wear with! I mean, I see a color combination to die for -- I make something up and then realize nothing I have coordinates with it.
Ever have that happen to you?
So now I am staring at the few remaining of my own lampwork beads that I have in my possession. I'll need to root around some, but I should be able to find my Swarovski and my sterling beads. Findings...that may be tough; hopefully I have at least one clasp floating around in my stash. If not, I have a lot of silver wire, so I can improvise.
Decisions after beading decisions...
OK, so let me go and see what I can come up with, as far as making beaded jewelry. Meanwhile I'll leave you with some beady pictures of other lampwork artists on ebay (my other source of inspiration).
Catch up with you later!
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 Triple Swirls Lampwork Beads Handmade Bead Set SRA US $24.99
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 Mango Coral Topaz Lampwork Beads Handmade Bead Set SRA US $23.00
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 Turquoise Cranberry Lampwork Beads Handmade Bead Set US $24.99
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 Lori Robbins sra Handmade Lampwork Boro Glass Beads H27 US $24.99
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 Dark Brown and Raku Lampwork Beads Handmade Bead Set US $24.99
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